Unite Rochester

I recently read the comments of a responder to a blog about how blacks feel on the July 4th holiday, written by Steven Jarose, who is white. One responder, also a white man, suggested that racism is “fading away” that “opportunity abounds” for blacks and that Affirmative Action and race-based scholarships for black scholars are both “unfair” and “racist.”
In addition, this responder said “white guilt” is probably at the core of Jarose’s problems and that he can solve it by emptying his bank account and giving a check to next “black” person he sees.
All of this was because Jarose’s blog expressed a sense of empathy for the difficulties black people have had and still face in this country.
I’m writing on this particular topic because these two white points-of-view are so diametrically opposite. And as a minority, and a proud citizen of the good ol’ U.S.A., it’s easy to see that while these two white points of view concerning race are current to today’s way of thought; it’s also easy to see that these points-of-view are classic – in fact, they resemble arguments made in the book, The White Man’s Burden, by B.F. Riley, in 1910.
The book is too long and detailed to fully expound on here, but in a nutshell, this book spells out the argument that since the Negro paid dearly and contributed mightily to making the United States of America an economic powerhouse during slavery – the least white people could do after slavery is help the Negroes as we worked to pull ourselves up towards the goals of self-reliance, stable families and cohesive communities.
We never got there. We’ve lost our way.
History clearly tells that some whites tried to help us. We should never forget this because they faced ridicule, violence, and some even death.
But, history also shows, instead of taking to heart the plea of humanity made in The White Man’s Burden, the bulk of our white brothers and sisters turned away while people of their kind systematically exploited us.
And, sadly for black folks, while the ideas in this book were intended as call to action for white America – white America was already extending its arms to Europe, bringing forth 20 million immigrants between 1880 and 1920 – an “affirmative action” program if there ever was one.
So, here we are in 2013.
As designed, whites control the lion’s share of American power and wealth, business, property, government, jobs, law enforcement, courts, education, research, communications, and technology.
As designed, blacks are on the bottom of almost all measures of prosperity, stability, and quality of life. I’m convinced – especially reading some of the comments to the Unite Rochester blogs – some whites intend to keep it this way no matter what.
Even though I can do without the paternalistic stance inherent in title, The White Man’s Burden, I have to agree with the basic assertion: If we are going to get anywhere as a country we need more whites in position of power, wealth and influence, to put race aside and righteously lead, earnestly teach and properly advise the youngest generations of Americans.
I’d like to hear what you think.

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About this blog

This blog is part of a Democrat and Chronicle initiative designed to raise awareness about race and racism, and inspire a more inclusive and creative approach to solving community problems. See a series of special reports that began Jan. 13.
Visit the Unite Rochester special section.

Community contributors

Quinisha S. Anderson: is a self employed blogger, web developer & designer. Raised in the city of Rochester, she is an Urban Suburban alumnus, now entrepreneur. Join her as she discusses the impact race, education & politics has on our community.

Kate Bennett: is president of the Rochester Museum & Science Center, which is ranked in the top two most visited attractions in Monroe County serving children and families. The RMSC offers unique hands-on experiences on 3 floors with more than 200 hands-on exhibits. During her tenure as President she has focused the museum on the visitor experience and on increasing exploration with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Kate serves on many local and national boards and committees and is co-chair of the Facing Race, Embracing Equity (FR=EE) Rochester initiative. Having spent a year in the Philippines as a college student, she developed early on an appreciation and interest in people of various cultures and backgrounds. She leads the RMSC in hosting the RACE: Are We So Different? Exhibition, offering a safe environment for individuals and groups to hold conversations around race.

Myra Brown: is a parish minister of Spiritus Christi Church, a nurse and a trainer that works with groups and organizations on cultural competency and racial justice. Myra is the founder and organizer of SPARC (Spiritus Christi Anti Racism Coalition). She travels all over the country offering trainings to groups and organizations who are interested in creating more racially just structures and becoming more culturally aware of how our cultural stories shape us in everyday interactions.

Fatima Bawany: is a sophomore religion major at the University of Rochester. A native of Pakistan having grown up in Rochester, she is passionate about bridging gaps between people of different religious and cultural backgrounds. She has chosen to express this passion through organizing interfaith projects, learning about nonviolence through the M.K. Gandhi Institute, and serving the refugee community. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing and exploring different cultural cuisines.

Jean Carroll: serves as president and CEO of the YWCA, an organization dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women. Jean is a founding member and past President of the Council of Agency Executives, a former member of the United Way Community Investment Division Cabinet, and former finalist for the Athena Award. Beginning in 2011, Jean provided leadership for the Stand Against Racism, a one-day event engaging more than 100 organizations in providing education and interaction for their employees and members in an effort to reduce intolerance and create a stronger community.

Joan Roby-Davison: was born and raised in nearby Clifton Springs. She spent most of her life in Upstate New York, moving to the Rochester area in 1979. Joan spent the past 25 years working in various city neighborhoods. Her jobs have ranged from church musician to executive director, giving her the opportunity to work with amazing city residents. Joan is an avid reader, quilter, parent and grandparent. She now resides in the 14621 neighborhood (after more than a decade working there), and works with businesses and residents in the southwest quadrant.

Christina Heyon Lee: immigrated to Rochester from Seoul, South Korea, about 40 years ago with her parents and sister. She recently returned to this area and is currently teaching as an adjunct in the AHPS (Anthropology, History, Political Science and Sociology) department at Monroe Community College.

Steven Jarose: is the director of the Rochester Chapter of the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI), a nonprofit, leadership development organization whose mission is to combat all forms of racism and discrimination worldwide. He serves on the NCBI governing board, and is the international NCBI constituency leader for the LGBTQ caucus. Jarose is an ordained interfaith minister and is active in numerous community and social justice initiatives.

Kayla Jenkins: is a health project coordinator at Charles Settlement House. Kayla sits on the Community Technology Advisory and Assessment Board and other steering committees and boards focused on improving the quality of life in Rochester. The oldest of five siblings, this Detroit native holds an MBA from the Simon School and is HITPro Certified. She is also the 2012 AALDP Class Representative and an observer on the United Way of Greater Rochester Board.

Shalunda Junious-Concepcion: was born and raised in the City of Rochester into a family that has resided here since the 1940s. She is an alumna of East Jr./Sr. High School, St. John Fisher College, SUNY Brockport REOC, Roberts Wesleyan College, and is a doctorate of education student at the University of Rochester. She is a nurse at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She has toured several countries and serves on various committees and boards. Her interest in the comparison of domestic and international education reforms steers her research on the impact of politics, policies, economics, society and teaching on education. Her greatest loves are God, her husband, her children, family and friends.

Janet Lomax: Janet Lomax is a news anchor at News10NBC and has been in the business for nearly four decades. Janet has covered a variety of stories and conducted one-on-one interviews with prominent newsmakers including First Lady Michelle Obama.

Janet is active in our community and is a member of several service-oriented organizations including the Rochester Chapter of The Links, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the National Association of Black Journalists and Rochester Association of Black Journalists. She is a past president of the Rochester chapter, Jack and Jill of America. When not working, Janet loves to read, travel, watch old movies and spend quality time with her family and friends.

Tianna Mañón is a third-year student at Rochester Institute of Technology, where she is studying journalism and political science. Tianna's mother is black and her father is Puerto Rican and Dominican, so as the child of an interracial couple, she has always been interested in race. Her interest blossomed when she graduated from city schools where minorities are the majority, and enrolled into RIT where Hispanics and black students make up just 10 percent of the student body.

Morgan Martins serves as marketing and public relations coordinator for diversity and inclusion at Rochester Institute of Technology: a university that has committed itself to Inclusive excellence and fostering a living, learning and working environment that supports and incorporates principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and community. She is a member of the Facing Race, Embracing Equity, Rochester's racial equity initiative (FR=EE) and blogs on its behalf. FR=EE is dedicated to bringing the community together to discuss, collaborate and change the issue of racial inequities in Rochester.

Marvin A. McMickle Ph.D. is president of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. A native of Chicago, Ill., he holds a bachelor of arts from Aurora University, a master of divinity from Union Theological Seminary, a doctor of ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. He came to Rochester in 2011 after spending 34 years in pastoral ministry and theological education in New Jersey and Ohio. He is the author of 15 books. He has been married to Peggy Noble McMickle since 1975, and they have one son, Aaron, who is married to Pilar Ramos. Marvin and Peggy have a granddaughter named Aaliyah.

I grew up in the Rochester area, attended PS35, graduated from Brighton High School, then attended SUNY College at Geneseo and the University of Chicago and earned his PhD at Northwestern University. A lifelong educator, child advocate and bestselling author of books and articles on leadership, collaboration, and education reform, I’ve been a middle school teacher, high school coach, school board member, college professor, dean of education at four universities, distinguished visiting scholar, community-based and regional nonprofit executive, education advisor to Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and associate superintendent of education for the State of Ohio. I currently am vice president for community programs at the Rochester Area Community Foundation.

The Reverend James C. Simmons is the senior pastor of Baber African Methodist Episcopal Church and chairman of Rise Up Rochester, Inc., a nonprofit committed to empowering the community to establish and maintain a nonviolent culture. A native of Waynesboro, Pa., Simmons is a graduate of Howard University and Wesley Theological Seminary at American University, both of Washington, D.C.

Rashad J. Smith is a communications whiz and motivational speaker. His has worked for BET Networks and C-SPAN. Currently, Rashad is the director of public relations for Generation News, an organization that promotes positivity in the Rochester community; a writer for Chicago's Black Youth Project and the Student Engagement, Content Creation and Program Delivery #Driver for YOUniversity Drive, LLC, a national organization preparing high school and college students for the real world. Rashad has a bachelor of arts in communications from the historically black Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C. He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Josean Vargas was born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico and moved in 2011 to Rochester. He currently works as a Referral Specialist at the Child Care Council Inc. Josean is also a fashion designer. He studied elementary teaching at the University of Puerto Rico, Ponce and studied fashion at the Sor Isolina Ferre Centers in Ponce.

Since moving to Rochester, Josean has created his own business, J.Vargas, which features a line of bow ties and accessories as well as custom made dresses. In 2013 Josean was selected as one of The Advocate magazine's 40 under 40. He lives in the Culver-Merchants neighborhood with his fiancé Michael.

Julio Vázquez Sr. retired as the Commissioner of Community Development of the city of Rochester in 2009, a position he held for 3½ years. He is the co-founder of Eugenio María de Hostos Charter School in 2000 and serves as the volunteer CEO/Chairman of the board. He also serves on five other boards in the community. Julio was president of the Ibero-American Action League from 1993 to 2006. He worked in various positions at the agency from 1971 to 1984, including community organizing. From 1987 to 1990, he owned and operated a Super Duper supermarket in the city, and worked briefly with the CSD as a Spanish teacher. Julio has a bachelor of science degree in social service administration from SUNY Empire State College and a master's degree in education from SUNY College at Brockport. His hobbies are reading, cycling, hiking and cannoning. He is the author of Journey of a Puerto Rican Jíbaro, a memoir.

MacClurg Vivian describes herself as "a white, female raised poor who as a child, lived in primarily white neighborhoods, often working class. At 8 years old, I began to notice racist attitudes of white people. From then on, I pursued information about people of color and racism, made friends with African American youth in college, dated men of color, led 'anti-racism' training with community groups and then emotional healing work with other white people around the racist conditioning the society had thrust upon us as white people, under the guise of 'the truth' or 'reality.' "

Staff contributors

Karen Magnuson is Editor and Vice President/News at the Democrat and Chronicle. Before coming to Rochester in 1999, she served as the managing editor of the Wichita Eagle in Kansas. She worked in California as an editor for the Daily News of Los Angeles and top editor of the Valley Times in Pleasanton and Press-Courier in Oxnard. She spent seven years with United Press International, a wire service serving newspapers and broadcasters. She started with UPI as a reporter in Chicago, opened a bureau in Davenport, Iowa, managed news bureaus in Springfield, Ill., and Salt Lake City and served as a regional executive for California. She recently completed a master's degree in innovation management in the Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology. She is a member of the Women's Leadership Council of United Way and Hope Lutheran Church. She and her husband, Tod, and live in Greece.

Marilyn Ajavananda is a Rochester native who grew up on the fringes of the city's northeast neighborhood with six siblings and a father who emigrated from Thailand and a German-American mother who grew up in old Dutch Town in the city's northwest neighborhood. Ajavananda is an alum of School 50, Franklin High School and St. John Fisher College, and began working for the Democrat and Chronicle/Times Union in 1988 as an advertising account executive. For the past 17 years, she has been a copy editor in the newsroom, and she's also an active community volunteer. Her years of community involvement have included projects with the Brighton Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation leadership seminars for high school sophomores, and most recently, working on projects to enhance cultural awareness with the Asian/Pacific Islander/American Association of Greater Rochester.

Cynthia Benjamin: is Social Networking Manager in Digital Strategy and Development at the Democrat and Chronicle. She's a wife and mother of three who co-pastors at Rebirth Ministries, Inc., in the city. A former suburbs reporter and editor, and a member of the Editorial Board, Cynthia helped launch the D&C’s first citizen blogs and reader-submitted photo galleries in 2006. She is a 2012 Minority Fellow of the Newspaper Association of America in Mobile Strategy and was the Professional Award honoree of the Rochester Genesee Valley Club’s Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club. She is also content editor and lead writer for social gaming projects, including Let’s Move, RocKids! Follow Cynthia's updates on Twitter at @cynthiabenjamn.

Mary Chao is the style and real estate reporter and serves as the co-chair of the newsroom Diversity Committee. A native of Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China, her family emigrated to the U.S. in 1974 after President Nixon’s historic visit to the People’s Republic of China. After traversing through Southern California and New York City as well as a stint back in Taiwan, Chao has made Rochester her home for the past 16 years. She lives in Brighton with her Marine husband and fashionista daughter. Follow her on Twitter @MaryChaoStyle.

James Lawrence: has, for the past 20 years as Editorial Page editor, been responsible for producing more than 5,100 daily Editorial and Speaking Out pages. He started his journalism career in Cleveland shortly after graduating from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Along the way, he has had career stops in Denver, Orlando, Fla., and White Plains. But unquestionably, he says, some of his most rewarding years as a journalist have been here in Rochester, being a part of positive change. That change has included reforms that followed an aggressive "Challenging Albany" campaign, greater public awareness and pushback against the coarsening of our culture, and strides being made to make this region a destination community.

Gary McLendon: a night public safety reporter, has covered crime and other breaking news at the Democrat and Chronicle since 2008. He has reported on city Issues, K-12 education, and suburban communities since leaving the Queens Tribune in 1999.

Gary is an Associate Minister at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church at 304 Joseph Ave., and is president of the Rochester Association of Black Journalists, an NABJ affiliate chapter founded in 2004. He is married, a father of one, and lives in Rochester.

Dick Moss is investigations editor, guiding the public service investigations team. Moss has bounced around among half a dozen editing jobs at the Democrat and Chronicle since 1987. His longest stint was as the newsroom's copy desk chief from 1996 to 2005. He is a 1980 graduate of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. -- where he studied under muckraking journalist Clark Mollenhoff -- and worked as a reporter and editor at several smaller newspapers in Virginia and New York state before joining the Democrat and Chronicle.

Michael Rodriguez joined the Democrat and Chronicle as a Digital Designer in January 2013 and is the co-chair of the newsroom Diversity Commitee. A Hudson Valley and NYC native, Michael came to Rochester in 2005 to attend RIT where he received his B.A. in graphic design in 2009. He lives in the Culver-Merchants neighborhood with his fiancé Josean, his puppy Barnie, and his cat Anouk. Follow him on twitter @MikeyRodriguez

Jane Sutter: became editor of community partnerships and niche content in November 2011. She is charged with increasing community engagement across all platforms, web and print. Jane also has served as deputy editorial page editor, managing editor and general manager/custom content. She has worked as a reporter or editor for newspapers in Iowa, Illinois, Florida, South Carolina and Elmira. A native of Burlington, Iowa, she holds a master’s degree in media management and a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Neeti Upadhye: is rounding out her first year as a multimedia reporter with the Democrat & Chronicle. Born in India but raised in California, she strongly identifies with her Indian-American background and balances her love for curry and avocados. Neeti graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and is passionate about international human rights and inner city issues. If she’s not at work, she is either dancing or traveling overseas.